Tuesday, September 26, 2017

or should I put "some" friends....it's always a toss up for me, it seems. I go in to something with pure intentions and it might be a ticking time bomb. It has happened multiple (and I mean multiple) times before, but my naivete is everlasting it appears, even at 47 years and being knocked around a lot, I still believe in the kindness of others...

I think for most of you....

when you read my blog posts, for some reading them for many years, you have come to know who I am as a person. I don't embellish. I don't puff up. I don't do anything other than share my heart. Share it like I would if you and I were sitting down at my kitchen table for a cup of coffee. With me, what you read (or see, or listen to - depending on what mode of delivery you follow me under) is what I am.

Yesterday...

I shared my Patriotic Room. I have been working very hard on it over the past year. I think you all know that, or again *most* of you know that. When a neighbor of mine does something and puts a lot of work into something, I am one that always wants to see, wants to compliment and pat on the back for a job well done. Again, that's who I am. Yesterday, I was feeling down a bit because today, I bury my friend Anna. I met Anna in her home when I was a Eucharistic Minister to the sick. Her son had a terminal illness, I brought the Eucharist to them since they could not attend church. That was six years ago. In those six years, her son passed away, she was left with no family that resides in this town. I and a handful of other parishioners from my church did our best to incorporate her into our families. She passed last Thursday after a short illness and today (9/26/17) I bury a friend. One that I am proud to have known and one that left me a better person from knowing her.

I digress...

so being a bit down, I thought...I'm going to share the one thing that always lifts me up ~ my handwork. So I shared my Patriotic Room . WHY? because many of my needlework friends know I've been working on my room and many have asked to see it. It was perfect timing in my book.

It was a simple post....

filled with a couple of the things I love best: My Country and My Handwork.

Writing and sharing my pieces did the trick...my spirit was lifted and I went about my days work with a smile in my heart, as I usually do....

Last evening....

I received a private e-mail indicating that the stars I have in my window, the ones I show in my post, should be removed especially if they were Gold or Blue, because I was representing myself as being something I was not:

A Gold Star Mother or A Blue Star Mother

Oh my stars....

are not blue and they are not gold. My stars (if you blow up the photo - which is quite easy to do when you click on it) are clearly white ...however the vein of the letter was not to build up and educate, it was to point fingers and tear down. Don't we have enough of this going on all over the world? I believe so, but that is an opinion, so take it or leave it. One thing I can affirm, my position in life is NOT tearing down.

So I'm going to build up...

because even though I was torn apart last evening, I became educated in something very important, thanks to the private e-mail I received. Although the author was incorrect in the assumption and even incorrect in the subject matter, it made me delve deeper and now, I can help us all understand more fully.

I was of course...

upset at the tone of the letter, because I thought I had done a grievous error and being that I am a complete rule follower ~ when I do wrong, I nearly kill myself to correct my errors, my "wrongness". I was so upset. I even began to cry (likely it was a multitude of things: Anna's passing, I've been working nonstop, hormones, the helpless feeling like I can never do anything right when I'm judged mercilessly)
So... I am sharing with you, my readers, a beautiful tradition that I have never witnessed on a personal level. I have heard about different color stars before, but didn't understand the significance, nor the significance of their display in a front window of a home. Now I do, thanks to a note directed at me in a negative way. I think it important that we all note this tradition, the significance and deep meaning behind it, and flip a negative into a positive. It's all about learning and growing.

Please click on this photo to be taken to my FLICKR album to be able to read legibly:
Taken from the 2009 Military Dispatch

and here is a photo of a home of an Active Serviceman and the banner their family put in their window to represent their son's service to our country:

See...

I was not trying to make myself to be something I am not. Rather my wooden stars that I painted myself in buttermilk basin and have hanging in all 18 windows of my home represent me: A proud American that loves my country, supports our military and stands for the Flag and for the people that live here, even if some of those people like to take shots at me.

Until next time - when I get brave enough to share again....

I'll be treating my neighbor with kindness, because kindness matters...

I'll be measuring my words, because you never know what another person is dealing with....

I'll be smiling, because there are far too many people that don't smile.....

Our Patriotic Room is the front room of our home. On our house plans it was to be a formal dining room, I'm not formal and with the family the size of ours, it is nice to have a room where you can house the computers, a homework desk, keep the important papers, etc. So we wired the room to be our computer/office/quiet room.

Here's a video...just click on it :)

Here is how I have tipped my hat to my great country in said room:

Little House Needleworks ~ Classic Colorworks Thread Packs

"Land of the Free"

"Long May She Wave"

"Home of the Brave"

a corner cabinet, featuring:

The Patriotic Cat satue by Jim Shore

and...

With Thy Needle and Threads Limited Edition Kit ~ "Flag Day in the Potting Shed"

and the little bear is wearing pilot clothing and signifies a project that my husband worked on for many years, writing software for the EA-18G naval plane.

My beautiful room...

and the love of my country...only eclipsed by my love for my family and creator.

AND....
I have SO many more pieces on deck to stitch and put inside these four walls. CAN'T WAIT to make it even MORE patriotic and MORE beautiful! Wonderful designs by: Lila's Studio, The Scarlett House, Plum Street Samplers, Little House Needleworks, Country Cottage Needleworks...
THANK YOU! to so many designers that put out gorgeous designs to inspire and fuel my patriotism!

If you are an American, stop today and reflect on all the many, many freedoms we enjoy because of what our flag represents: 50 UNITED states and those freedoms that were won for us by the blood and sacrifice of our fellow countrymen.

BE the change...

Love your neighbor as yourself...

Kindness matters...

You never know what someone is carrying, share the load by sharing a smile...

Thursday, September 14, 2017

so I thought I'd better get on here and let you know I'm still kicking. Since I last wrote, we have begun school, taken Katie back to college, gotten our floors redone with laminate hardwood flooring, I've fall cleaned and redecorated after that was done and of course in our spare time we've been travelling all over the state following our Cross Country Boy in his final year of running and the every present daily finishing that I do. Busy!

Today...

being I'm over halfway through, I'd like to share with you my "Early Americans" progress to date. I've been sharing nearly every day on Instagram my stitching for a long time, just because I use it as sort of a personal "stitch diary" of what I do stitching-wise, every day. So that at the end of the month I can go back over what I have accomplished. I've forged many wonderful friendships there as well, and gotten to know other friends a lot better. Life in pictures...you learn a lot about people.

So without further ado...

let me share with you my people...our people... of the United States - "The Early American Series" by Little House Needleworks:

Betsy Ross

John Hancock

Martha Washington

Nathan Hale

Now then...

the center block, I did not use what was charted. . . NOT because I didn't like it. . . rather the entire time I have been stitching this, I have been reciting in my head the preamble to the United States Constitution..."We the People of the United states in order to form a more perfect Union..."

I learned that preamble in school as a young girl and the entire time while stitching this piece I've been reciting it silently in my head. (I know I'm weird, but I own it!)

So since that has been running through my head, I HAD to have it on my piece. I thought about trying to make it fit on the bottom somehow...but charting the whole thing...yowza! So long before I the middle block was even released, I had made up my mind that my center block would be the "We the People..." block. Here is my piece as it stands today:

I had thought about doing the whole "America" Piece (slightly altered) over one tread to fit inside the block, since I LOVE that design...but that would have looked dumb...so I used the flag and the vine from the "America" design pattern and charted my own font with the preamble beginning...then I added a large star and bingo bango! CENTER BLOCK. I love it! And that block incorporates ME and what was running through my head as I stitched on this piece.

That my friends...

is what I like to do. I'm certain you have noticed that I change things up a lot. Why? Because I want my pieces to stand for ME, and what I was thinking/feeling/living during that time I was stitching it. Stitching...it defines ME.

Someday soon...

I'll be back with a tour of my home...

I'm so stinkin' proud of all my fall cleaning, our new floors and how my home looks. Finally after 21 years of marriage and saving our p's and q's I've got the house looking like I want it to look. We've grown up a lot since we took our vows :)